American: Native Empire

Chapter 197: Electronic Industry (3).

“I can’t believe we sold so many…”

“It’s true that the product was cheap and good.”

The executives of Hansung Group were very happy with the huge success of the transistor radio.

Kim Chul-hwan was also the same. 

But at the same time, he felt a sense of challenge rising in him.

He looked back and forth at the two radios on his desk and thought.

“Our radio is better than this…”

The radios on the desk were from Earth Industry Group and Hansung Group respectively.

Even by eye, Hansung Group’s radio was smaller. And it was actually lighter. 

It meant that it was easier to carry.

Considering that television was gradually spreading in the empire, portability was more important for radios in Joseon.

And the most important thing was,

“The price is cheaper.”

It was the price difference between the two radios.

The labor cost in the empire was notoriously expensive. 

In this situation, Earth Industry Group’s radio factory was in the empire.

On the other hand, their price was much cheaper because they used cheap labor in Manchuria.

Since the same transistor was used, the actual quality was similar. 

In this situation, having a better price and portability meant that they had competitiveness.

The problem was perception.

“Can a Joseon-made electronic device succeed in the empire?”

This was something he couldn’t be sure of.

“But… it’s worth a try.”

The transistor radio made a lot of money by being a big hit in the country. 

And this was just the beginning. 

The popularity of the product was not cooling down, but rather increasing.

In this situation…

“What if our product succeeds in the empire too?”

If that happened, Hansung Group would hit a jackpot. 

They could become the top group in Joseon in an instant.

That’s how huge the market of the empire with a billion population was. 

And most of them were middle class, meaning most of the population were consumers.

With this thought, Kim Chul-hwan’s heart beat faster.

After some deliberation, Kim Chul-hwan made a decision.

“Let’s give it a try.”

He decided to knock on the thick door of the empire market.

***

“Hansung Group? Isn’t that the place that’s having fun with transistor radios these days?”

“Yes. I contacted you to meet with you personally. Do you want to refuse?”

Gentle Flame received dozens of requests for meetings every day. 

This was natural.

Gentle Flame was the boss of Top Eagle Group, one of the leading groups in the empire and a hawkish group that dominated East Asia.

His word could change not only the fate of other groups, but also the destiny of countries.

No matter how prominent a construction company in Joseon, it was hard to compete with Gentle Flame. 

Even if they had recently risen a bit with their radio hit.

The secretary also reported without much expectation.

But Gentle Flame shook his head and answered.

“No. Let’s meet him once. I have a good feeling about this. Arrange a time for me.”

“Yes, boss.”

After the secretary left, Gentle Flame thought.

‘Radio… If it’s about that radio, it would be very interesting.’

Gentle Flame was active in East Asia. 

Among them, Joseon was the most important country in East Asia.

Of course, he knew about the transistor radio that heated up Joseon recently. 

He even bought and used it himself.

‘It was cheap and good.’

He remembered being surprised by the quality, even though it wasn’t imperial-made.

A few days later.

Kim Chul-hwan visited Gentle Flame’s office.

“It’s an honor to meet you, boss of Top Eagle Group. I’m Kim Chul-hwan, who runs a small group called Hansung.”

“Haha. A small group? That’s quite different from what I know. Come on, sit down.”

They exchanged greetings until tea came out. 

And when the atmosphere became comfortable, they got to the point.

“I heard a rough story from your secretary. You want to distribute your radio in the empire through our Top Eagle Group.”

“Yes. This is our radio…”

“Oh, you don’t have to show me.”

Gentle Flame drew a firm line, and Kim Chul-hwan’s face stiffened for a moment.

But as soon as Hansung Group’s radio came out of his desk, he relaxed as if nothing had happened.

“I’ve already bought and used it since its launch.”

“Oh! You’ve been using it. That’s really an honor. Hahaha!”

Kim Chul-hwan laughed happily and asked cautiously.

“May I ask how you felt about using it?”

“It was cheap and very good quality. That’s why I’m still using it.”

As he praised him, Kim Chul-hwan’s anxiety in his chest melted away and confidence filled its place.

“Our quality is not inferior to Earth Industry Group’s radio. No, it’s better because it’s smaller and lighter. And the price is cheaper too.”

Kim Chul-hwan raved about the advantages of their product.

Gentle Flame nodded.

‘Not bad.’

Importing foreign products to the empire was one of the main sources of income for Top Eagle Group. 

Especially, they brought in a lot of cheap products from East Asia to the empire.

In fact, low-cost products mainly focused on light industry were almost obsolete in the empire.

The characteristic of these products was that they required a lot of labor. 

The problem was the high labor cost in the empire.

In the past, the labor cost in Central and South continents was quite cheap. But they had already become much more expensive.

In this situation, when cheap products made with foreign labor were imported to the empire, there was no way that expensive imperial-made products would sell.

Top Eagle Group sold the leading products of the empire to overseas, and brought in these cheap products and local specialties to the empire.

‘I don’t know if a Joseon-made electronic device will succeed, but… this seems like it will.’

Gentle Flame organized his thoughts and gave Kim Chul-hwan an answer.

“I see. We’ll take responsibility and distribute this product in the empire. And let’s try to sell it in other regions besides Joseon too.”

Boom!

At that word, Kim Chul-hwan jumped up from his seat and bowed his head.

“Thank you very much! I’ll do my best!”

Of course, there was still a condition negotiation left. But Kim Chul-hwan wasn’t worried.

Top Eagle Group had always valued coexistence as the most important thing. It meant a relationship where both sides could win.josei

That was true even after the nimble rope retired and Gentle Flame, the second boss of Top Eagle Group, took over.

And this was also true this time. Kim Chul-hwan was able to sign a distribution contract with satisfactory conditions.

‘I wonder how Earth Industry Group’s boss will react when he finds out.’

The company that they gave the license to surpassed their market share?

Even without money, he would feel very uncomfortable.

They had a close relationship, but Gentle Flame and Green Leaf were rivals.

Especially since Green Leaf was a cold-blooded person who seemed to not bleed even if stabbed, he felt very good just imagining his frowning face.

***

At that time, no matter how many cheap foreign light industrial products flooded the market, that was all. 

The imperial people preferred imperial-made products for most of the products.

Especially for machines and chemical products, it was more severe.

“Imperial-made products are the best for advanced products. Ahem!”

This was because this perception was underlying.

Even if it was revealed that they used cheap foreign machine products,

“What is that? Why are you using such a backward thing?”

“Tsk tsk. It looks poor. I wouldn’t use it even if you gave it to me.”

They would often be ridiculed like this.

That’s why the news from his secretary wasn’t very good.

“The radio sales are quite low as expected.”

“That’s to be expected. Well, I knew it would be like that at first. But don’t stop advertising and distributing. It’s just that they’re not used to foreign devices yet.”

But Gentle Flame didn’t care at all. 

He thought that it was only a matter of time for Hansung Group’s radio to take its place.

And his thought of Gentle Flame hit the mark.

Top Eagle Group continued to advertise nationwide, and thanks to that, word of mouth came from the relatively low-income class.

“A Joseon-made radio… Is it any good?”

“I heard from a friend who bought it that it’s unbelievably good for the price. He said you won’t regret buying it.”

“Really? Hmm… Then I’ll buy one and try it.”

That’s how they started to sell little by little.

And the rumor spread more and more.

“Have you tried that radio? They said it was made in Joseon.”

“Haha. I’ve been using it since I bought it. It’s cheaper and better than Earth Industry Group’s radio.”

“Hmm. Really? I was going to change my radio, so I’ll buy that one too.”

At first, the eyes looking at Joseon-made devices were not very nice, but by this point, Hansung Group’s radio, or even Joseon-made radio, was an exception.

Thanks to this, the sales of Hansung Group’s radio soared from this point on. The impact of a portable radio was that great.

They sold 2 million units in that year alone, which was an amazing achievement. Thanks to that, Earth Industry Group’s radio sales plummeted.

***

Hansung Group’s radio became a huge hit product. 

It sold the most in the country, the empire, and even in many other countries around the world.

Thanks to this, Kim Chul-hwan had to constantly increase the size of his radio factory and worked hard to meet the delivery deadline.

But his expression was very happy. 

Because of this one achievement, Hansung Group grew so big that it could compare with the imperial groups beyond Joseon.

And Kim Chul-hwan was sure.

“I can’t end it like this. The electronic device market will grow bigger day by day. If I just hold on to this field, I’ll never go bankrupt.”

He didn’t mean to give up the construction business that made Hansung Group what it is today. 

Rather, he planned to invest the money he earned like crazy and make it bigger.

He still thought that construction business would grow greatly for at least decades.

But that’s not all, Hansung Group’s main sector would be electronic devices from now on. 

Kim Chul-hwan decided to push ahead with it.

But at the same time, Kim Chul-hwan felt painfully.

‘There is a limit to license production like this.’

He could already feel Earth Industry Group’s displeasure. 

It meant that he had to secure his own technology.

So Kim Chul-hwan allocated a considerable amount of money for technology development costs.

And he scouted many scientists and engineers from Joseon. 

He also spared no money to invite outstanding scholars from the empire.

‘There are more talents in our country than I thought.’

At that time, Joseon’s enthusiasm for learning was tremendous. 

The perception of scientists and engineers was better than ever, just like in the empire.

There were also many talents who had studied abroad in the empire.

In this research institute, various electronic devices were researched. 

And they launched products around the world including the empire and hit them.

Thanks to this, Hansung became a leading brand in the world.

“We can’t live by just earning money from domestic market forever. Look at Hansung. They’re doing so well on the stage of the empire and the world.”

It’s natural to feel sick when your cousin buys land. Thanks to this, most of Joseon’s groups extended their feet to the electronic industry.

Of course, most of them failed, but some products that had the right direction sold quite well in the empire.

“Joseon-made products are cheap and reliable.”

The improved perception of Joseon’s products, thanks to Hansung Group, was a big factor in their success.

As a result, Joseon’s economy began to expand rapidly thanks to the electronic industry.